The steam locomotive pictured below is in Gulf Hammock, FL, a wide spot in the road along US 19/98, south of Chiefland, FL. I have driven past this place dozens of times without stopping to see the history of the steam locomotive and how it came to be on display here. Well, on Saturday afternoon, I had some time on my hands after visiting the Brooksville, FL hamfest, and I pulled in to check out the old locomotive. It turns out it was part of a large logging operation in the area in the 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s. Nearby was a large company town built to accommodate logging, transportation, and sawmill workers. Yep, you guessed it – its name was Gulf Hammock. There is nothing much left of this large enterprise except the old steam engine. It’s what is called a 2-8-0 configuration, meaning it had 2 wheels on the front truck, 8 driving wheels, and no trailing wheels supporting the boiler.
